Biography
My name is Mike Smiles and I have always enjoyed the majesty of horses, and have been painting maritime scenes and building driftwood sculptures for 20 years along the shores of Lake Champlain and the Mystic Coast of Connecticut.
My interest in driftwood sculpture reflects my years serving the missions of Mystic Seaport Museum, New England Science & Sailing Foundation, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, and the Shelburne Museum. Throughout my role advocating for these organizations, I soaked in the aesthetic beauty of the sea, helped establish STEM sailing and marine science programs in public schools, supported underwater archaeology programs, helped to endow and preserve wooden ships and scholarship funds, and advance volunteerism, philanthropy, and an appreciation for the arts and creativity.
Since moving to Vermont in 2015, I have traveled the shores of Lake Champlain on my 1978 former lobster boat traveling its 140 mile length of state forests, parks, and river estuaries. During a warm winter, as have occurred recently, driftwood is often scavenged for firewood and enjoyed in bonfires. If not collected from public beaches in Vermont in the springtime, the towns clear the debris with bucket loaders to make way for summer swimmers. My work reflects the idea of saving these beautiful pieces to preserve their natural beauty and the majesty of horses, eagles, and angels.
Each sculpture takes 4-8 weeks to complete including preparing and searching for wood, preparing the weather-treatment, and outdoor screws to last many years on display throughout New England winters. By careful treatment twice per year, these original sculptures can last for years.
My process reflects a creative appreciation for each piece of driftwood and its inspirational part in creating a whole.
As Gian Lorenzo Bernini said, "Three things are needed for success in painting and sculpture: to see beauty when young and accustom oneself to it, to work hard, and to obtain good advice."
My interest in driftwood sculpture reflects my years serving the missions of Mystic Seaport Museum, New England Science & Sailing Foundation, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, and the Shelburne Museum. Throughout my role advocating for these organizations, I soaked in the aesthetic beauty of the sea, helped establish STEM sailing and marine science programs in public schools, supported underwater archaeology programs, helped to endow and preserve wooden ships and scholarship funds, and advance volunteerism, philanthropy, and an appreciation for the arts and creativity.
Since moving to Vermont in 2015, I have traveled the shores of Lake Champlain on my 1978 former lobster boat traveling its 140 mile length of state forests, parks, and river estuaries. During a warm winter, as have occurred recently, driftwood is often scavenged for firewood and enjoyed in bonfires. If not collected from public beaches in Vermont in the springtime, the towns clear the debris with bucket loaders to make way for summer swimmers. My work reflects the idea of saving these beautiful pieces to preserve their natural beauty and the majesty of horses, eagles, and angels.
Each sculpture takes 4-8 weeks to complete including preparing and searching for wood, preparing the weather-treatment, and outdoor screws to last many years on display throughout New England winters. By careful treatment twice per year, these original sculptures can last for years.
My process reflects a creative appreciation for each piece of driftwood and its inspirational part in creating a whole.
As Gian Lorenzo Bernini said, "Three things are needed for success in painting and sculpture: to see beauty when young and accustom oneself to it, to work hard, and to obtain good advice."